Southwestern Baked Sweet Potatoes

Let’s just say that I have an unusual addiction to sweet potatoes. I am honestly shocked that my skin hasn’t turned a glowing shade of orange from the amount I consume each week, but I am probably speaking too soon, as it takes some time for that to actually happen. Whether they’re baked, boiled, roasted or fried, I love sweet potatoes in any way, shape or form, but sometimes I find that Ben doesn’t quite share the same enthusiasm that I do towards these orange little beauties, so it’s important that I switch them up here and there so he doesn’t get bored of the same old thing. This southwestern baked sweet potato recipe is the perfect mash up (no pun intended) of two of my most favorite things: Mexican food and sweet potatoes. It’s fairly simple to make and it tastes absolutely amazing. What more could you want in a healthy meal?

To perfectly bake your sweet potatoes, you must start by preparing them correctly. Begin by scrubbing off any dirt with a potato brush under cool water, and when finished, dry potatoes off on a paper towel. With a sharp knife, make several small incisions all over the potatoes to vent them during cooking. Place prepared sweet potatoes in an oven safe baking dish and preheat your oven to 415F. Bake potatoes on middle rack, uncovered for about an hour, or until the skin gives way when gently pressed.

While your potatoes are cooking, prepare your vegetables. This recipe makes 2 sweet potatoes worth of stuffing, so if you need more, double the ingredients. This recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/2 of a red pepper, 1 small jalapeno, 1/2 of a white onion, 2 large cloves of garlic, 1 (4 oz.) can of organic green chiles, the juice of 1 lime and 1 (15 oz.) can of drained and rinsed organic black beans. Remove the seeds from your jalapeno, then proceed to finely dice it along with your red pepper and white onion. Mince your cloves of garlic, and then add it along with the peppers and onion to a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add in your green chiles and place skillet on the stove. Do not start sauteing vegetables until your potatoes are about 10 minutes out from being done.

When ready, simmer vegetables on medium/high heat, stirring consistently. You will want to do this until both onions and peppers become tender. Turn heat to low. In a strainer, drain black beans and rinse until water runs clear. Shake the strainer to drain any excess water, then add the black beans into your skillet. With a fork, light smash your black beans. Season mixture with salt and pepper to taste, along with 1 teaspoon of ground cumin. Mix to combine.

When potatoes are finished, remove them from the oven and let them cool for about 5-10 minutes.

Hold the potato with an oven-mit or towel, and trim off the top of the potatoes to make a boat-like shape. With a spoon, carefully scoop out most of the potato into a bowl. Be sure to leave enough potato in the skins so the shells stay together. Mash the potato filling with fork or potato masher, and add it into your skillet, along with the juice of 1 lime. Stir to thoroughly combine.

Refill the shells with the potato mixture mounding it slightly, and top your potatoes with fresh cilantro, green onions, avocado slices, hot sauce or whatever you would like. We did fresh cilantro and hot sauce.

 Dig in and enjoy!

 While I just walked you through the recipe, I know there are some out there who prefer it written out in the usual form as well, so here is that for those whose do…